Scots Whingeing Again

As a consequence of Bulgaria and Romania, both of which have significant numbers of goat farmers for us to support, joining the EU, Britain’s quota of MEPs is to be cut from 78 to 72. One of these is to be culled from Scotland, which seems reasonable as they have about a tenth of the UK’s population and one out of six seems fair to me. England gets to lose the other five seats.

Sadly this news has brought out the Special Pleaders in droves.

In a letter to the Electoral Commission yesterday, Peter Murrell, the chief executive of the SNP, said the proposal was “politically unacceptable”. He said: “Scotland’s sheer size, and its numerous communities and interest groups, mean any further diminution of Scottish representation in the European Parliament will restrict the ability of MEPs to do their job effectively.”

As if England was somehow devoid of “sheer size”, “numerous communities” and “interest groups”……..

David Martin, a Labour MEP, said: “It is disappointing the Electoral Commission did not take into consideration some of Scotland’s unique features, such as geography, population spread and the difficulty representing areas like the Highlands and Islands.”

Given that after 1st. January 2009 an ‘independent’ Scotland will be no more than an unruly Province of the new European Empire, governed no doubt by some second rate Viceroy plucked from the ranks of used Scots politicians, the notion that Scotland would be better off with independence is but a sad and not terribly funny joke.